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New California Republic
Overview ; The largest successor state to Old America, the New California Republic can trace itself back to the local governments of several Californian cities, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, and San Francisco. Until the recent turnaround in the Holy Columbian Confederacy, the NCR was unquestionably the most successful of nations in North America. Recent years have not been as kind, as Ceasars Legion presses west and the Haida raiders continue to harass and loot valuable trading ships, but the NCR is still able to defend herself. History The War-Lord Era Historically, California was a divided realm, carved up by petty warlords into different various realms until stabilizing into the former kingdoms of Baja, Socal, The Valley, Gran Frisco, and Jefferson. Status quo would hold for a couple hundred years, with one warlord occasionally uniting multiple kingdoms together but never all 5 at once and shattering back into independent realms upon each conquerors death until Elton I "The Lawgiver" Yudkow of The Valley and The War of Unity. The Beginning The war of Unity would begin with King Dalton IV Aureus of Gran Frisco executing a famous Imamite preacher by the name of Al-Karim of Socal. King Musa, of Al-Karim's home of Socal, would demand justice for the Imamites death. However, Gran Frisco was in a stronger position militarily and Musa was unable to do anything against Aureus by himself. This stalemate would be broken when Elton I Yudkow of The Valley sent out diplomatic overtures to King Musa explaing his sympathy for Musa and Karim and his desire to get justice for Karim. Now united in purpose, the two kingdoms would commence an invasion against Gran Frisco, with Musa attacking first and Elton leading a surprise force in a direct assault against San Fran itself. Pressed on both sides and with no allies, King Dalton IV would surrender. During Elton's King Musa disposed by a religious rebellion led by his brother Ahmad, would escape to LA and raise his army. and socal collapsed into civil wars just as Elton conquered Grand Francisco. Musa then asked for Elton's aid and swore fealty to him, which is how socal willingly joined the empire Musa's brother Ahmad led the revolt, and was slain by Musa in battle Ahmad had a fit and seethed so hard because Musa didn't invade grand fransisco even though his southern border was unprotected ahmad's rebellion also caused Baja's sack of Balboa, which happened to destroy most of the archival records of socal Musa, after reunifiying socal with eltons aid, marched down to baja and punished them. His generals joined elton's campaigns into the valley and jefferson, and musa himself charged down into baja to bring them under heel Demographics & Inhabitants Cultures The descendants of the Americans and Latinos from California to Nevada * Bayfolk: The inhabitants of the coastal regions of California from San Luis to Humboldt. Famous for their wine, wealth, and relatively high level of education. Their lands center on the magnificent San Francisco Bay, the most important port on the west coast. * Chino: The Chino are unlike any other culture in Mexico. Their language is an odd blend of Spanish and some unknown tongue. They use odd pictograms in addition to the standard Latin Alphabet. They put their surname ahead of their given name. Even visually, they appear different from the rest of the Mexicano population. It is unknown where exactly they came from, only that their odd traditions are shared by the Calaotians up north, and every now and then, an odd visitor from across the sea speaks of similar traditions... * Valleyan: The simple, hardworking people of California's central valley. Despite being poorer than their coastal cousins, they take great pride in being the home and people of the Capital and golden city of Sacramento. * Angeleno: Though centered on the Los Angeles - San Diego axis, the Angeleno stretches far into the mojave desert and the arid interior of southern California. The Angelenos consider themselves descendants of the stars themselves, and shines to small golden statues of "Oscar" are frequent attractions in their cities. * Cascadian: The less populated area of the Cascadia region is home to the native Cascadians, a land strung between the encroaching First Nations and Californian kingdoms. Though a chunk of South-West Oregon is ruled by the Portlanders and Paiutes, the coast and the Californian kingdom of Jefferson are all Cascadian. Only the Oregon coast, however, is fully Gaian and Cascadian, as part of their lands are ruled by the Cetics "under" the Emperor of California * Calaotians: After the Cataclysm, the refugee Hmong, said to be from far across the great ocean, farther even then Hawai'i or Nippon, were better adapted than their native neighbors to survive the hardships and misery of the dark ages. While they are still a fairly distrusted minority, they dominate the southern reaches of the San Joaquin valley and the hills around it. * Californio: When the Empire of California arose, the Celestial Emperor decreed that there is only one California. The Empire absorbed Baja California, and promoted a Californio as King. Since then, the Californio have largely renounced religion, instead swearing loyalty to the Celestial Emperor in Sacramento. On the rocky islands to the west and south, though, Californio pirates prowl the waves. Cities The largest city, Los Angeles has a population of 61 thousand people, the second largest, Sacramento, has 30 thousand. There are 4 other cities of note in the kingdom (San Francisco, San Diego, Fresno, and Cabo San Lucas) and 60 towns. The remaining population lives in numerous small villages, isolated dwellings, etc. Government & Politics The New California Republic is a federal unicameral presidential republic based on the principle of representative democracy, established as the successor of Old America. The executive branch is the Council, headed by the President of the New California Republic and their Vice-President, elected by the Congress. The Congress, also known as the Senate, forms the legislative branch and is a unicameral parliament staffed by representatives elected in popular elections by citizens of each county that comprises the Republic. Apart from legislation, the Congress also acts as an advisory body to the government of the Republic. Notably, while the general term for representatives is "Congressman", the states themselves use use a variety of titles: "Councilor," "Counselor," "Councilman," "Representative," and "Senator." The terms are used interchangeably and used widely outside the chambers of the Council and Congress, but within them they can be used as insults and spark furious debates. Each county represented in NCR Congress sends one representative to Sacramento. The judicial branch comprises courts and judges ruling in accordance with NCR's adapted version of American common law. Law Civil law As mentioned above, NCR citizens have the right to vote for their representatives to sit in the Congress. Both citizens and non-citizens enjoy the protection of NCR's courts (although courts tend to favor citizens in disputes). Orcs and Goblinkind are also protected since 2589, but enforcing this part of the law has been spotty. Intellectual property laws have been enacted and remain a source of ongoing controversy, particularly patents. The NCR Bill of Rights is based on the Bill of Rights in the Old America Constitution, and guarantees many of the same rights and freedoms found in the US Constitution to NCR Citizens, including: * Freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion. Strict separation of church and state. * The right to bear arms for self-defense, though settlements are permitted to make reasonable restrictions, such as prohibiting open carrying of weapons (weapons not sheathed or bound) within city limits, as well as restricting possession of certain weapon types (such as explosives) within city limits. * Prohibitions of discrimination based on gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or aforementioned religious beliefs. * The right to a speedy trial by jury, as well as protection of unreasonable searches and seizures, and protections against self-incrimination and double jeopardy. * Slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited except as a sentence for a crime handed out by a court of law (i.e. prison work crews). * Powers and responsibilities not given to federal government are given to the states and individual settlements instead. Immigration laws Immigration into the NCR is open to both humans, Orcs, and (controversially) Goblinkind, provided they are law-abiding and peaceful. The process is simple. The person in question moves to an NCR territory, presents their claim for immigration, undergo citizenship training, and once his application is processed is granted the status of a Provisional Citizen (PC). Full citizenship is granted shortly afterwards. All registered citizens are required to pay any appropriate and associated taxes. Territories can petition the Republic for annexation. Once the petition is accepted, the NCR grants the town territorial status and establishes a police and army presence in the location to establish the rule of law and eliminate law-breakers. Once this process is completed, the territory can apply for full statehood. The frontier New Vegas or the former Northern Protectorate of Cascadia are the closest to becoming the next state of the union. Criminal law The Republic dedicates itself to bringing peace, security, and justice to the people within and without their borders. When the NCR can excise rule of law on criminals, it is done so according to the severity of their crimes, with the death penalty being reserved for serious offenses. Notably, murder does not automatically translate to a capital sentence. Punishment for criminals inside NCR proper means serving prison time at any number of correctional facilities and performing manual labor for the NCR's work release program. However, outside the NCR's metropole is a different story. The NCR Army isn't keen on peacekeeping activities and usually swiftly punishes crimes committed in around the boarderlands with death. Part of this includes the setting of bounties and delegating the responsibly of capture to able civilians that can bring in criminals that have eluded NCR lawmen or military. At least for the military, bounties require proof in the form of an intact head; anything less conclusive results in a fraction of the bounty being rewarded. Common municipal laws in the NCR boil down to: * a ban on slavery, unlicensed gambling, and unlicensed prostitution * a ban on open carry of weapons (although concealed carry/binding is permitted) * a ban on public drunkenness or drug use Although they are rigidly enforced in major NCR population centers, they tend to become more relaxed on the frontier. On the road, bylaws of the Republic allow for dismissing caravan members suspected of theft without pay. Military law This same rule of law also applies to prisoners of war. With laws enacted during President Mendez's administration, the NCR recognizes the rights of prisoners of war and approaches their care humanely and free from abuse. Most officers find these laws to be constricting, but resourceful officers find ways around it by employing the service of outside consultants. Laws pertaining to soldiers are quite severe. Cowardice before the enemy, especially desertion, is punished with death by hanging or to be shot on sight. Dishonorable conduct usually leads to a court-martial and may result in execution for particularly severe crimes. Internal conflicts In theory, this is a sound and well-balanced system, but in practice, every state tries to assert its independence and work towards furthering its own agenda. There is much friction between the states of Sacramento and Angelos, usually related to trade rights and caravan routes. Significant pressure is exerted on the political and economic direction of the NCR by a variety of private interests; in particular, the land barons whose wealth gives them great influence at the ballot box and whose needs are often placed first by officials seeking support in their political ambitions. With the armed forces, the Gun Runners gain special dispensation and influence as they are the primary contributor to NCR's weapon arsenal. Elsewhere, monopolies like the Crimson Caravan and similar trading families dominate the trade routes and use their wealth to gain influence with the NCR government and extort large amounts of money. Smaller competitors who are unable to compete with both the larger competition as well as the high taxes are inevitably muscled out. The president is the biggest factor in deciding on the course the Republic should take. For example, under Mendez, the NCR has grown substantially, focusing efforts on rebuilding the pre-War infrastructure and restarting technological development, while under Norton the NCR is becoming more imperialistic and expansionist. Government Offices The Government Offices of the NCR are an extension of the Executive Branch of Government, tasked with enforcing and carrying out the various laws of the New California Republic, being roughly analogous with Executive Departments of the pre-war United States. Appointments are made based on the concept of observational promotion. In short, it was a system that the bureaucrats were promoted based on the recommendation of the locals, believed to possess the ability and morality. Of course, in practice, it gradually becahas become means for the abuse of power and corruption, where power, money and social reputation are in charge. Office of Defense Oversees the national security of the NCR, includes the New California Republican Army and the New California Rangers as well as some civilian employees involved in oversight of the military. Office of Justice Charged with the enforcement of the law within the NCR, including the regulation of various local police forces, sheriff's departments, town guards, and militias, as well as operating the NCR's Federal Law Enforcement services, most notably the NCR Marshals Service and the NCR Correctional Service. Office of Science, Magics, & Industry Tasked with conducting scientific/magical research for the advancement of technology and the improvement of infrastructure in the New California Republic, as well as regulating scientific/magical research by private organizations within the borders of the Republic. The organization works closely with the Office of Resources and Office of Transportation and Infrastructure. Office of Resources The Office of Resources and Energy are charged with regulating the use and preventing the overuse, destruction, or pollution of natural resources, including water, mineral resources, agricultural land, and forest resources in the NCR, etc. Works closely with the Office of Science and Industry. Office of Health and Safety The Office of Health and Safety is charged with promoting the health and safety of civilians in the NCR, a task which includes roles as diverse as maintaining the NCR Health Service, setting standards for medical licensing. Office of Education Sets standards for education in the NCR, including both basic education and higher education, setting up both primary schools and the various campuses of the University of New California. Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Tasked with the maintenance of transportation and infrastructure systems, including roads, harbors, water and sewer systems, dams, and other infrastructure within the NCR. Among the largest branches is the Bureau of Infrastructure Maintenance, charged with the construction and maintenance of infrastructure. The OTI also contains the registry for ships and the few airships in civilian hands in the NCR. The OTI works closely with the Office of Science and Technology on many of its projects. Office of Foreign Affairs Tasked with maintaining relations and embassies with various other states. Infrastructure Civilian While not reaching the level of pre-dragon America, the NCR has been able to either maintain or rebuild most of the existing/previous infrastructure and it's citizens enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the world. Major roads are no longer paved with concrete, now being made of gravel with more minor roads just marked and maintained. Using either magic or ingenuity, irrigation systems are in use in major cities and for crops. Most antediluvian buildings are gone, save for those made of stone, metal, or the few that are carefully maintained, but new constructions of stone and wood are created constantly and experiments on basic concrete's has started. A handful of both magical and non-magical colleges have been constructed, the most prominent being Yoosi Davis. The Gnomes and their Brotherhood of Steel, from their offshore oil rig home have begun to research ancient technology from antediluvian California, such as the Golden Gate bridge and railroads. Naval The seat of the NCR's naval power is San Francisco, where the great shipyard and main drydocks of the Republic are located. Centrally positioned with a naturally protected bay, the Republic is able to support the second largest navy on the west coast with these facilities. It is also home to one of the few airshipyards in existence, capable of not only repairing airships but constructing new ones, although the cost is great and the process extremely time consuming. Assets Defenses The New California Republic has 450 active castles and 110 ruined. Of these, 360 castles and 88 ruined are in civilized lands, and 90 castles and 22 ruined are in the wilderness, along borders, etc. Industry and Trade Guilds and Factions Architecture Geography The kingdom of New California Republic covers an area of 225 thousand square miles. Of this, 60% (136 thousand sq. miles) is arable land, and 39% (88 thousand sq. miles) is wilderness. Natural Resources